Bhansali's 'Love & War' Resumes Filming on June 18 With a 200-Dancer Grand Finale at Royal Palms

Sanjay Leela Bhansali does not make films so much as he constructs worlds, and his latest period drama Love & War has been one of the most painstakingly assembled productions in recent Hindi cinema. After a brief production pause that sparked a flurry of speculation, the film is reported to be returning before the cameras on 18 June, with the lead trio of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal reconvening for what is being described as a spectacular set piece.

The resumption brings welcome clarity to a project that has been dogged by rumours of delays, ballooning budgets and behind-the-scenes friction. Bhansali himself is understood to have pushed back against the more lurid reports, indicating that the overwhelming majority of principal photography is already in the can, and that the remaining work is largely concentrated on a handful of elaborate sequences befitting his signature maximalist style.

A finale built for 200 dancers

The centrepiece of the upcoming schedule is a song sequence of extraordinary scale. Reports indicate that nearly 200 dancers will join the principal cast for the number, which is to be filmed on a specially constructed set at Mumbai's Royal Palms over several days. Extensive rehearsals are said to be already underway, a level of preparation consistent with the filmmaker's reputation for choreographic grandeur and meticulously designed frames.

For Bhansali, the musical set piece is never an interlude but a narrative device, a moment where emotion, spectacle and design converge. The sheer logistics of coordinating hundreds of performers alongside the three lead stars on a bespoke set speak to the ambition of a production that has consistently prioritised visual splendour over speed.

An A-list trio under one roof

The casting of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in a single Bhansali film was always going to generate outsized interest. Kapoor and Bhatt, a real-life couple, share the screen in a project of considerable emotional heft, while Kaushal completes a triangle that has fuelled endless conjecture about the film's narrative dynamics. The combination of three of the industry's most bankable performers under one of its most exacting directors is a rare alignment of talent.

Inevitably, a production of this profile has attracted its share of gossip, including unsubstantiated talk of scheduling clashes as the actors juggle packed slates and whispers of on-set tension. Such chatter is almost a rite of passage for any Bhansali venture, where the stakes, the budgets and the personalities involved guarantee that every development becomes a talking point.

A moving release window

The film's release timeline has shifted more than once. With the budget reportedly climbing and the shoot extending, the team is now believed to be eyeing a theatrical release in early 2027, possibly around the Republic Day holiday corridor in January, a window that has historically rewarded patriotic and emotionally charged dramas.

That revised target reflects the reality of a production where perfection has taken precedence over deadlines. Bhansali's films have a track record of arriving later than initially planned, but they have also frequently justified the wait at the box office and in awards conversations, lending the makers the confidence to take the time they feel the material demands.

• Shoot resumes 18 June with the lead trio reuniting
• Grand song sequence to feature nearly 200 dancers at Royal Palms
• Roughly 90 per cent of principal photography reported complete
• Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal
• Revised release now eyeing early 2027, possibly Republic Day

As the cameras roll once more, the expectation surrounding Love & War only intensifies. A Bhansali production carries a built-in promise of opulence, and the pairing of that aesthetic with a trio of stars at the peak of their popularity makes the film a genuine event in waiting. The grand finale shoot may be among the last major pieces of the puzzle, but if history is any indication, the journey from the editing suite to the multiplex will be watched just as closely as the journey to the set has been.

The NE Times View

Bhansali's opulence is a known quantity, and a 200-dancer finale is exactly the maximalism his audiences expect. The slip to 2027 matters more than the song: in a crowded market, repeated timeline revisions test investor patience and audience appetite alike. The pairing of three A-listers is the draw, but grandeur alone no longer guarantees returns, and even auteurs must now answer to the calendar.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from Bollywood Hungama, The Hans India, Business Upturn.